Rig Veda Sukta 40
Mandala 5Sukta 409 Mantras

Sukta 40

Sukta 5.40

Rishi

Atri (Ātreya) (Mandala 5 context; RV 5.40 also Atri-associated)

Devata

Indra (Soma-pati, Vṛtrahantama)

Chandas

Gayatri (probable refrain-like compact form; exact meter not guaranteed from provided data)

Kidung ini memanggil Indra sebagai penguasa Soma dan pembunuh Vṛtra yang paling unggul agar segera datang kepada Soma yang telah diperas dan menganugerahkan kepada pelaksana yajña kekuatan kemenangan. Lalu terungkap kisah Atri yang termasyhur: raksasa Svàrbhānu menyelubungi Sūrya dalam kegelapan, dunia-dunia jatuh ke dalam kekacauan, dan para Atri—melalui wawasan batin serta daya-mantra—menemukan kembali Matahari yang tersembunyi, memulihkan cahaya dan tatanan.

Recitation with translationRig Veda 5.40

Mantras

Mantra 1

आ याह्यद्रिभिः सुतं सोमं सोमपते पिब । वृषन्निन्द्र वृषभिर्वृत्रहन्तम ॥

Datanglah kemari kepada Soma yang diperas dengan batu-batu; minumlah, wahai Somapati. Wahai Indra Sang Banteng, dengan daya-daya bantengmu datanglah—pembunuh Vṛtra yang terperkasa—agar daya itu terjaga dan menang di dalam diri kami.

Mantra 2

वृषा ग्रावा वृषा मदो वृषा सोमो अयं सुतः । वृषन्निन्द्र वृषभिर्वृत्रहन्तम ॥

Bantenglah batu pemeras; bantenglah ekstasi; bantenglah Soma ini yang telah diperas. Maka, wahai Indra Sang Banteng, datanglah dengan daya-daya bantengmu—pembunuh Vṛtra yang terperkasa—agar kenikmatan yang menguatkan menang di dalam diri kami.

Mantra 3

वृषा त्वा वृषणं हुवे वज्रिञ्चित्राभिरूतिभिः । वृषन्निन्द्र वृषभिर्वृत्रहन्तम ॥

Sebagai Sang Banteng aku memanggilmu, Sang Banteng, wahai pemegang vajra, dengan pertolongan-pertolonganmu yang beraneka warna. Wahai Indra Sang Banteng, datanglah dengan daya-daya bantengmu, pembunuh Vṛtra yang terperkasa—hadirkan tenaga kemenangan ke dalam diri kami.

Mantra 4

ऋजीषी वज्री वृषभस्तुराषाट् छुष्मी राजा वृत्रहा सोमपावा । युक्त्वा हरिभ्यामुप यासदर्वाङ्माध्यंदिने सवने मत्सदिन्द्रः ॥

Indra—pembawa kekuatan vajra yang perkasa, banteng daya, penakluk yang tak tertahan, raja yang gagah, pembunuh Vṛtra sang penghalang, peminum dan pemurni Soma—setelah memasangkan dua Harinya yang keemasan, datang mendekat, berpaling kepada kami; pada pemerasan tengah hari ia duduk dalam ekstasi.

Mantra 5

यत्त्वा सूर्य स्वर्भानुस्तमसाविध्यदासुरः । अक्षेत्रविद्यथा मुग्धो भुवनान्यदीधयुः ॥

Ketika Svárbhānu yang bersifat Asura menimpakan kegelapan kepadamu, wahai Surya, segenap dunia menjadi bingung; seperti orang yang tak mengenal ladang tersesat jalannya dan tak mampu menata cahaya-cahaya pada tempatnya.

Mantra 6

स्वर्भानोरध यदिन्द्र माया अवो दिवो वर्तमाना अवाहन् । गूळ्हं सूर्यं तमसापव्रतेन तुरीयेण ब्रह्मणाविन्ददत्रिः ॥

Lalu, ketika tipu-daya Svárbhānu bergerak di bawah langit, wahai Indra, dan menyeretnya turun, Atri—dengan daya keempat dari Sabda (Brahman)—menemukan Surya yang tersembunyi oleh kegelapan yang berpaling dari ṛta (tatanan benar).

Mantra 7

मा मामिमं तव सन्तमत्र इरस्या द्रुग्धो भियसा नि गारीत् । त्वं मित्रो असि सत्यराधास्तौ मेहावतं वरुणश्च राजा ॥

Janganlah yang ini—milik-Mu—wahai Atri, dijatuhkan oleh rasa takut karena luka iri hati. Engkau adalah Mitra, yang pemenuhannya benar; maka lindungilah aku di sini, engkau berdua—Mitra dan Varuṇa, Sang Raja.

Mantra 8

ग्राव्णो ब्रह्मा युयुजानः सपर्यन्कीरिणा देवान्नमसोपशिक्षन् । अत्रिः सूर्यस्य दिवि चक्षुराधात्स्वर्भानोरप माया अघुक्षत् ॥

Sang brahman-priester, setelah memasang batu-batu pemeras pada tugasnya, bersembah bakti, menuntun para dewa dengan pemujaan dan kidung—Atri menegakkan mata Surya di langit, dan memerah habis tipu-daya Svàrbhānu.

Mantra 9

यं वै सूर्यं स्वर्भानुस्तमसाविध्यदासुरः । अत्रयस्तमन्वविन्दन्नह्यन्ये अशक्नुवन् ॥

Surya itu—yang Svàrbhānu yang bersifat Asura menembusnya dengan kegelapan—para Atri mengejarnya dan menemukannya; tiada yang lain berkuasa.

Inside Sukta 40

How it unfolds

  1. Where it opens

    A direct, urgent invitation: Indra is called to the freshly pressed Soma to drink and awaken victorious force in the worshippers.

  2. Development

    The hymn expands from ritual invocation to cosmic drama—darkness strikes the Sun, and the worlds become disoriented like one who has lost the field-path.

  3. Climax

    The Atris ‘follow and find’ the hidden Sun—none others can—signaling the decisive turning from obscuration to recovered light.

  4. Where it settles

    Order is re-established through seer-power aligned with Indra’s victory; the hymn’s purpose returns to empowerment, protection, and renewed brightness for the community.

The deity: Indra with an embedded Sūrya-restoration episode

  • In the VedaIndra is hailed as the bull-like hero who drinks Soma, delights in strength, and breaks obstructing powers; he is repeatedly invoked to come to the pressing and make the sacrificer victorious. In the hymn’s narrative layer, the restoration of Sūrya from Svàrbhānu’s darkness is celebrated through Atri-seer power, aligning Indra’s victory motif with the return of light.
  • Cosmic functionHe upholds ṛta by shattering obstruction (Vṛtra/covering darkness), releasing light and vital flow, and ensuring the regular return of brightness and order in the worlds.
  • Inner significanceIndra signifies awakened will and luminous courage that defeats inner ‘coverings’—fear, confusion, inertia—so the mind’s sun (clarity) reappears and right orientation is restored.

The seer

  • Atri (Ātreya); traditionally Atri Bhāuma for RV 5.40Ātreya (Atri-gotra) · One of the primeval ṛṣis (saptaṛṣi), famed in the Rig Veda for mantra-power that restores cosmic order—especially the tradition of ‘finding’ the Sun during the Svàrbhānu darkness (eclipse motif).

Famous verses

ā yāhy adribhiḥ sutaṃ somaṃ somapate piba
Verse 5.40.1Sets the ritual core: Indra as Soma-pati is summoned to the pressed Soma and invoked as the most mighty Vṛtra-slayer to awaken victorious energy in the sacrificer.Read verse 5.40.1 →
svarbhānus tamasāvidhyat
Verse 5.40.5States the eclipse-like crisis: Svàrbhānu’s darkness strikes Sūrya, and the worlds are thrown into confusion—an iconic Vedic image of cosmic disorientation.Read verse 5.40.5 →
atrayas tam anv avindan
Verse 5.40.9Declares the hymn’s signature resolution: the Atris alone track and recover the obscured Sun, highlighting the power of ṛṣi-vision and mantra to restore light.Read verse 5.40.9 →

Attributes of the deity

  • Soma-drinker (Soma-pati)
  • Vṛtra-slayer (Vṛtrahantama)
  • Bull-like vigor (vṛṣan)
  • Bestower of victory and strength
  • Restorer of light/order through overcoming obscuration
  • Swiftly invoked guest of the sacrifice

Also by this seer

  • Atri/Ātreya hymns in Rig Veda Mandala 5 (a major family book associated with the Atris)
  • Later Vedic-Itihāsa-Purāṇic memory of Atri as a foundational seer and progenitor of the Ātreya line
  • Atri traditions connected with solar restoration and protective/clarifying prayers in ritual recitation lineages

The rite, step by step

  • Prepare the altar and seat the deity through preliminary invocations (āhvāna).
  • Press Soma with stones (adri), strain and ready it for offering.
  • Invite Indra explicitly as Soma-pati to come and drink (as in 5.40.1).
  • Offer Soma with accompanying mantras; request vṛṣan-strength and victory over obstacles.
  • Recite the Svàrbhānu–Sūrya episode as a charm of restoration: from bewilderment to recovered light (5.40.5, 5.40.9).
  • Conclude with thanksgiving and reaffirmation of restored order and protection for the sacrificer/community.

Offerings

  • Soma juice (primary)
  • Ghee/clarified butter (supporting oblation)
  • Optional: grains/cakes used alongside Soma rites in broader sequences

Frequently Asked Questions

It begins as a Soma-invocation to Indra for strength and victory, and it also preserves a famous story where darkness covers the Sun and the Atris restore the lost light.

Svàrbhānu is described as an Asuric being who strikes the Sun with darkness, causing confusion in the worlds—often understood as a Vedic eclipse motif or a symbol of cosmic obstruction.

The hymn says the Atris ‘followed and found’ the hidden Sun when others could not, presenting the seer-family’s mantra-power as capable of restoring clarity, order, and light.

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